Des Wilson has
resigned from the Management Board of the England and WalesCricket Board
after failing to persuade them to take a stronger stance aboutthe
controversial proposed tour to Zimbabwe later this year.

The former
vice-chairman of the Liberal Party was appointed chairman of theECB's
Corporate Affairs and Marketing Advisory Committee last year with abrief to
formulate a policy for England's controversial tour to Zimbabwethis
October.

But after failing to persuade enough members of the ECB
Management Board totake a more aggressive stand about the tour and the
oppressive regime ofZimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Wilson has resigned
and launched ascathing attack on the International Cricket Council, the
world's governingbody.

"I really thought I could make some
difference," Wilson is quoted as sayingin several broadsheet newspapers.
"They liked the idea of someone coming inwith fresh ideas but the trouble is
that when it comes to putting them intoaction, they don't like the
reality.

"I have no desire to offer succour or support to the ECB's
critics at adifficult time," he said. "This is not an 'I'm right, you're
wrong, I'm off'resignation.

"We simply differ, but the differences
are profound. It is right, therefore,that I should go and thus enable the
board to unite around the course itbelieves to be right.

"The fact is
the ECB has been placed in an intolerable position by the ICC'sinflexible
and, in my view, malevolent enforcement of its internationaltours programme
with draconian and disproportionate penalties that woulddevastate the
English game, forcing the ECB itself into insolvency andbankrupting up to a
third of the first-class counties.

"In the short term, I believe the ECB
should make such a tour only underprotest . . . In so doing it would be seen
to exercise both moral judgmentand accountability to UK political, public
and cricket stakeholder opinionand take a first step to rejecting the
unsustainable proposition that moralconcerns have no place in
sport.

"Even if this tour goes ahead, I believe the ECB should commit
itself tofight for as many years as it takes to change the protocol so that
no othercountry can be coerced in this way. Alas, there appears no appetite
for thatcourse of action either."

HARARE, Zimbabwe
(AP)--Zimbabwe's government said Tuesday that it hadrevised its extradition
policy in order to extradite 70 suspectedmercenaries accused of plotting a
coup in the oil-rich west African nationof Equatorial Guinea.

An official notice said Zimbabwe drafted an extradition treaty for thefirst
time with Equatorial Guinea, effective immediately. The notice meantthe 70
suspects could be sent to Equatorial Guinea for trial on allegationsof
plotting the overthrow that country's government.

The official
"statutory instrument" said it amended Zimbabwe'sexisting extradition
agreements with several other countries to includeEquatorial
Guinea.

The 70 suspects - who include South Africans, Namibians,
Angolans,Congolese, a Zimbabwean and a British national -were detained after
theiraging Boeing 727 landed at Harare International Airport on March
7.

Most of them are former members of South Africa's
apartheid-eramilitary forces.

The suspects appeared in a
makeshift court at the maximum-securityChikurubi prison outside Harare on
Tuesday. Some reporters, including arepresentative from The Associated
Press, were barred entry by prisonguards, despite a court order saying the
hearing was to be public.

Prison guards said they were instructed
not to admit an AP reporter -aZimbabwean freelancer who they said could not
be both a member of the publicand a reporter.

Defense attorneys
had said they were to ask for the release of some ofthe suspects on grounds
they broke no laws in Zimbabwe. They were also toprotest the refusal of
entry to reporters and ordinary spectators normallyallowed into regular
courts.

Prosecutors had said they could not guarantee security to
bring thesuspects to an open court in downtown Harare, but a High Court
judge allowedhearings to be held in Chikurubi prison, 30 kilometers north of
Harare, aslong as they were open to all visitors willing to go through
lengthysecurity checks before entry.

Zimbabwe's prosecutors
allege that Equatorial Guinea's Spanish-basedrebel leader Sever Motto
offered the group $1.8 million and oil rights tooverthrow the government in
the former Spanish colony. Another 14 suspectedmercenaries are in custody in
the west African country.

Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro
Obiang Ngeuma has also allegedthe suspects were plotting to overthrow the
governments of Sao Tome andPrincipe and of Congo.

The suspects
held in Zimbabwe deny the accusations, saying they wereheaded to security
jobs at mining operations in eastern Congo. Court papersindicate some had
contracts for that work.

They face five charges, including
conspiring to carry out a coup withweapons purchased in Zimbabwe. They are
also accused of violating Zimbabwe'simmigration, firearms and security laws.
If convicted, they could face lifein prison.

Human rights
groups say they believe at least one of the suspects heldin custody in
Equatorial Guinea has been tortured to death.

Equatorial Guinea,
where Obiang has ruled for 25 years, is ranked byrights groups as one of the
world's most repressive countries. Offshore oilstrikes since 1997 have made
it Africa's third-largest oil producer afterNigeria and Angola.

Grant Flower has attacked the
Zimbabwe Cricket Union and says the 15rebel players will not return to
practice. They are refusing to appear for their country and are holding
out in arow over selection and board politics.

"It is a mess.
They cannot get anything right. You can take it from mewe will not be at
practice," said Flower.

"We want to resolve this but the ZCU's
cocked it up. The arbitrationpanel's chairman is out of the country and so
is our lawyer. What are theythinking?"

A shadow Zimbabwe
side, captained by Tatenda Taibu, is currently 4-0down against Sri Lanka in
the one-day international series.

Flower also made it clear that
the group would not return withoutHeath Streak being reinstated as
skipper.

He added: "In any case everybody should understand we want
HeathStreak as our captain.

"If they continue to refuse, it
could be a deal breaker. We are quitedetermined about it."

ZCU
chief executive Vincent Hogg said the players would face sanctionsif they
failed to go along with the arbitration process.

"It was agreed
that in the meantime the players would turn out forpractice and be available
for selection," he said.

"If they don't do that, certainly by 8
May, our ultimatum to them toreturn to duties by that date or face
disciplinary action will come intoeffect."

THE Petroleum
Marketers Association of Zimbabwe (PMAZ) said on Monday thenew blend
exchange rate will not have any major impact on the price of fuel.

PMAZ
chairman Mr Masimba Kambarami told reporters that there had not beenany
significant change on the fundamental factors that determine the priceof
fuel, which are the offshore price and the cost of foreign currency onthe
auction market.

"There should not be any substantial increase in the
price of fuel becauseinternational prices are stable while the exchange rate
has also remainedsteady on the auction market," Mr Kambarami said.

He
said the directive by the central bank for interest rates to come downwas
also a positive development that would ensure the price of fuel
remainedstable.

"If interest rates fall, lending rates will go down
and this means thefinance cost per litre will also go down and compensate
for any increase inthe blend (exchange) rate," he said.

Interest
rates for 30-day maturities have fallen to around 50 percent, whilerates for
90-day maturities are now in the range of 90 percent.

Central bank
governor Dr Gideon Gono last Wednesday announced new incentivesfor various
economic sectors that saw the blend exchange rate coming to $5344 to the
US$, against the ruling auction rate of $4 712 to the greenback.

Zimbabwe
has been facing fuel shortages since 2000 owing to the shortage offoreign
currency to import the commodity.

In an effort to improve the
availability of fuel, the government last yearderegulated the oil industry
to allow private players to participate.

Prior to the de-regulation, the
procurement of fuel was only done throughthe National Oil Company of
Zimbabwe. - New Ziana.

A bucket of tomatoes
is all that stands between Alice Dhliwayo and thestarvation of her two
children. Six days a week, Alice rises before 5am andqueues at the market
for tomatoes. Then she takes her place by the side ofthe road with other
women and builds a neat pyramid of fruit to attractpassers-by. A
miscalculation on the likely profit from the bucket oftomatoes means that
she risks going home after a 14-hour day unable toprovide supper for her two
sons, Daniel and Dingane. Mrs Dhliwayo, 26, whois divorced, is from
Tshabalala township in Bulawayo. She is one ofthousands of women street
traders trapped with no other means of survival inZimbabwe's hostile
economic climate of 600 per cent inflation andunemployment of 80 per cent.
Sometimes she sells nothing and has to take herchance selling the same
tomatoes, now bruised and overripe, the next day.Often she walks the five
miles back home to save the minibus fare. Dingane,3, suffers chronic
pneumonia and is classified in the local clinic as"growth faltering"- the
stunting that occurs with long-term deprivation ofvitamins and proteins. In
Alice Dhliwayo's home, the evening meal isinevitably stiff maizemeal
porridge with a vegetable relish. Once or twice amonth, she can buy an egg.
Alice and Dingane, who had just left the localclinic, were admirably turned
out in their best clothes. "They are too proudto look untidy," a nurse said.
"I don't know how they do it."

Last month the Bulawayo municipality
reported 63 deaths from hunger-relatedillness, 48 of them children under 4.
The World Food Programme, the faminerelief arm of the United Nations,
estimates that 2.5 million urban people inZimbabwe are starving. "We've been
feeding just over double that in therural areas, and it's prevented
widespread starvation," said a UNconsultant, who asked not to be named, "but
the practicalities of fooddistribution in a huge urban conurbation are
completely different. The bestwe can do now is targeted interventions, like
supplementary feedingprogrammes at clinics and school-feeding programmes."
Yet the continuationof international famine relief to Zimbabwe is uncertain.
In February,Western diplomats said, the Government privately told the UN
office inHarare that its Zimbabwe operation would be wound up in June.
Diplomats, aidagencies and opposition figures have no doubt that it means
that PresidentMugabe plans to seize total control of food distribution to
the eightmillion people threatened by starvation, before parliamentary
elections duein March next year.

HARARE, April 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The Reserve
Bank of Zimbabweannounced here on Wednesday that members of the public will
now get the sameexchange rate as that applying to Zimbabweans living
overseas.

Governor of the central bank Gideon Gono said in a
statement thatthe exchange rate of 5,200 Zimbabwean dollars to the US dollar
would nowapply to individuals who want to change money at any commercial
bank in thecountry, up from the current auction rate at
5,047.

The announcement of the special 5,200 Zimbabwean dollars
ratefollows Gono's monetary policy review last week, in which he announced
thisrate as a special 'diaspora floor price' for money sent by
Zimbabweansliving abroad through registered money transfer
agencies.

Previously, banks exchanged foreign currency at the
foreigncurrency auction rate but they can now exchange it at the
diasporarate orauction rate, if it becomes higher.

Gono
said many people were not sure of how to go about changingtheir money
legally or were afraid of being asked the origin of the money atthe
banks.

"Any individual with foreign currency can go to any
registeredcommercial bank and change it at a rate of 5,200 Zimbabwean
dollars to theUS dollar or the corresponding rate for other currencies,"
Gono said.

"No questions will be asked as to where the money
came from," headded.

Money sent through registered money
transfer agencies can be paidto recipients in Zimbabwe in foreign currency
as cash, travelers' checks orbank drafts.

It can also be
changed into local currency at the diaspora floorprice or the auction rate,
whichever is higher.

Those who opt to be paid in local currency
do not pay anycommission while those who opt for payment in foreign currency
would becharged commission when they change the money at a
bank.

Zimbabwe is facing foreign currency shortages as a result
of poorexport performance and withdrawal of financial support by some
worldfinanciers. Enditem

Leading lawyers cannot see how the Minister of Finance
and EconomicDevelopment, Cde Chris Kuruneri, could remain a Member of
Parliament andminister if it was found he was a Canadian
citizen.

While it seems just possible that a person could be a
non-citizen permanentresident and MP, this loophole can only apply to people
who were notZimbabwean citizens after 1985.

The lawyers, who did not
want to be quoted, said Zimbabwe did not allow dualcitizenship and so adult
citizens of other countries could not be citizensof
Zimbabwe.

Questions are being asked whether Cde Kuruneri is, in fact, a
citizen ofZimbabwe, and if he is not whether he can remain an MP and be a
minister.

If he is found to be a citizen of Canada he automatically loses
hisZimbabwean citizenship and almost certainly his registration as a voter
interms of a 2002 Supreme Court judgment.

A person who has lost
Zimbabwean citizenship can reapply to the Minister ofHome Affairs to have
this citizenship restored, which could give CdeKuruneri a
chance.

Since it is not an offence for a Zimbabwean to change his or
hercitizenship, or to acquire a foreign citizenship, the matter of
CdeKuruneri's citizenship will not come before the courts in any
criminalproceedings, including those that started with his remand in custody
onMonday.

There are only three offences listed in the Citizenship
Act: deliberatelymaking false statements on a material particular, being a
foreign citizenwho uses a Zimbabwe passport without permission, or being a
Zimbabweancitizen using a foreign passport without the permission of the
Zimbabweanauthorities.

It is the third offence that forms one of the
allegations against CdeKuruneri in his present criminal case.

All the
three offences carry a maximum fine of $2 000 or a jail term of upto two
years or both.

Citizenship status is purely a civil matter and if any
query over thisstatus ever gets as far as a court, it will be a civil court
that sits.

If Cde Kuruneri does, in fact, hold a Canadian passport, and
this has yet tobe proved, he still need not be a Canadian
citizen.

All countries reserve the right to issue their passports to
non-citizens,granting such people their protection in a foreign land without
grantingcitizenship.

While the practice is rare, Zimbabwe itself has
granted such protection tothe odd foreigner.

The Canadian Embassy in
Harare yesterday declined to state whether or notCde Kuruneri was a Canadian
citizen. Canadian officials were bound by a lawprotecting privacy, embassy
staff said, and so could not comment on anyone'scitizenship status to a
newspaper.

But if Cde Kuruneri does have Canadian citizenship, then he
automaticallyceased to be a Zimbabwean citizen at the end of 1985 or, at the
latest,early 2002, if he held the citizenship then, or immediately on
acquiring thecitizenship if he became Canadian later.

The changes
that came in 2001 changed the way a foreign citizenship had tobe renounced.
Before, renunciation was in terms of a Zimbabwean law. Afterthat amendment,
it had to be in terms of the law of the relevant foreigncountry. So after
early January 2002, it was impossible to renounce aforeign citizenship and
still retain it because of different laws.

If it was shown he had lost
Zimbabwean citizenship, this would almostcertainly disqualify him as a
voter, a requirement to be nominated toParliament.

There is a very
small loophole for some non-citizens to qualify as a voter.A dwindling group
of permanent residents who were non-citizen residentsbefore the end of 1985
can be registered as voters.

The Supreme Court decided in 2002, almost on
the eve of the presidentialelection that year, that those who became
permanent residents later, and oneway was by losing citizenship, were
disqualified for registration as voters.

Under the Constitution, a person
is disqualified for election as an MP ifthey are disqualified for
registration as a voter, although it is not clearif the person seeking
election actually has to be registered.

There is no requirement in the
Constitution that an MP has to be a citizenof Zimbabwe, only that he has to
be at least 21, not disqualified as a voterand has been resident in the
country for five of the previous 20 yearsbefore nomination.

While an
MP convicted of an offence under the Electoral Law and disqualifiedfrom
voting as a result of that conviction loses his seat, there does notappear
to be any specific provision for an MP who loses the right to vote asa
result of a non-criminal matter.

GOVERNMENT has earmarked $9 billion for the
completion of the Joshua MqabukoNkomo Interna-tional Airport in Bulawayo,
which is expected to open forbusiness in October.

The commissioning
has been set for December 22 to coincide with Unity
Daycelebrations.

This was revealed by an official at the Civil
Aviation Authority of Zimbabwestand during the first day of the Zimbabwe
International Trade Fair, whichstarted yesterday.

He said most of the
work at the terminal had been done, while the rest isexpected to be
completed in time for the opening.

At the moment the piling foundation
work has been finished while thestructural steel work is in
progress.

Civil works for access roads and car park and the refurbishment
of theexisting terminal are also underway.

The construction and
refurbishment of the terminal began in January lastyear, but progress has
been hampered by the shortage of fuel and buildingmaterials, which affected
the country last year.

The project - which was initially estimated to
cost $5,6 billion - is nowexpected to cost about $16 billion owing to the
increase in the price ofbuilding materials.

"Everything is now going
on according to plan because fuel and buildingmaterials which were in short
supply last year are now readily available.

"With the money that has been
made available for the project, the terminalwill definitely open as
scheduled," the CAAZ official said.

Between April and May last year, work
on the airport came to a standstillowing the shortage of cement.

"The
terminal is expected to meet international standards. With plans thathave
been put in place for the airport, it will certainly be on the worldmap as
it is also expected to have facilities to entertain tourists whenthey arrive
in the city," he said.

The airport is being constructed in three phases,
with the first phaseconcentrating mainly on the refurbishment.

The
second phase includes the extension of the runway and apron toaccommodate
larger planes and to ensure that two wide and one narrow-bodiedairplanes can
be processed at the same time.

The third and final phase includes the
development of an aero-city, whichconsists of commercial zones with
infrastructure such as a five-star hotel,golf course for leisure purposes,
banks and other tourism-relatedinfrastructure.

The upgrading and
expansion of the country's international airports is partof the Government's
contribution towards the tourism recovery programme andis meant to enhance
airports' capacity to handle large traffic as well aspromote
tourism.

The project will include the upgrading of the Harare and
Victoria Fallsinternational airports.

There are also plans to
refurbish domestic airports in Mutare, Gweru andKariba.

The members of the Media Lawyer's Network,
journalists present at theconference resolved upon the
following:

Reaffirming the obligations of our government under the
African Charter onHuman and People's Rights in particular article
9

Recalling Article 9 guarantees as follows "every individual shall have
theright to receive information and every individual shall have the right
toexpress and disseminate his opinions within the law"

Recognising
the declaration of principles of freedom of expression in Africaadopted by
the African Commission on Human and People's Rights meeting atits 32nd
Ordinary Session in Banjul, Gambia from the 17th to the 23rd ofOctober
2002

Recognising that freedom of expression is a fundamental human
rightguaranteed by the Zimbabwe Constitution, the ACHPR, the
Universaldeclaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil
andPolitical Rights

Considering the key role of the media and other
means of communication inensuring full respect of freedom of expression in
promoting the free flow ofinformation and ideas in assisting people to make
informed decisions infacilitating democracy

Noting the legislative
and practical encumbrances that have been placed onthe media in Zimbabwe in
its endeavor to enjoy the freedom of expression

Mindful of the effect
such measures have had on the enjoyment of freedom ofexpression by the
public and the adverse effects it has had on employmentand the welfare of
media workers.

Reaffirming the need to speedily deal with infringements
of the freedom ofexpression by the judiciary who are the custodians of the
bill of rights

Determined to carry out our duty in defence of media
freedom, we haveresolved that:

International bodies such as the
African Commission on Human and Peoples'Rights, the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights and such other bodiesshould be resorted to in the
absence of effective domestic remedies and/ortheir exhaustion.

The
judiciary is called upon to speedily depose with matters of publicinterest
which are brought before it such as those involving freedom ofexpression or
any other matter dealing with fundamental human rights

The state is
called upon to ensure that all its organs are properly equippedand have the
resources to function effectively in discharging its duties;particularly
make them aware of the country's obligations underinternational treaties and
provide these treaties to these organs and alsoprovide training. The state
must mitigate the effect that its actions haveon journalists - financially
and morally. The media practitioners and medialawyers are called upon to
cooperate and work together in the furtherance offreedom of
expression.

Civic society and the public at large are called upon to
complement theefforts of media practitioners in the their efforts for
greater freedoms.Parliament must be urged to amend or repeal the current
laws like BSA,AIPPA, POSA that militate against media freedom In achieving
this MPs areencouraged to consult stakeholders in coming up with a new
legislativeregime

The Media Lawyers network was formed by
MISA-Zimbabwe in 2002 to mobilizethe legal fraternity in the defence of
media and freedom of expression. Itis made up of human rights lawyers in
various cities of Zimbabwe.

Regional Programme Manager: Media Freedom
Monitoring

*Above is a communiqué issued by the Media Lawyers Network of
Zimbabwe atthe end of its 2004 annual conference, held at the Great Zimbabwe
HotelMasvingo, on April 25 2004

HARARE
- Zimbabwe's 15 rebel white cricketers will not as thought practiceor make
themselves available for future matches on the present Sri Lankatour after
hearing the arbitration process over their concerns could takeanother month
to be arranged.They are continuing their rebellion - over the sacking of
captain HeathStreak and other selectorial policies - because the Zimbabwe
Cricket Union,which agreed to independent arbitration, did not set it up as
the playersexpected.

The move will cause a shock when it becomes
known, because the agreement formediation in return for an end to the
players' rebellion was seen as thefirst step to
reconciliation.

Instead of attending arbitration, the senior Zimbabwe
professionals indispute were addressed by a former national captain, former
union presidentand lawyer David Lewis, who explained that it takes at least
a month toprepare for an arbitration process.

Senior player Grant
Flower, who with captain Heath Streak is the mainspokesman for the group of
15, confirmed they would not practice today inpreparation for the fifth and
final one day match with Sri Lanka which aninexperienced Zimbabwean side are
trailing 4-0.

"It is a mess. They cannot get anything right. You can take
it from me wewill not be at practice," said Flower after finishing a fitness
session at agymnasium.

"We want to resolve this, we really do. But
the ZCU has cocked it up. Thechairman of the arbitration panel is out of the
country."

"Our lawyer is also out of the country. What are they thinking
about? In anycase everybody should understand we want Heath Streak as our
captain. Ifthey continue to refuse, it could be a deal breaker. We are quite
determinedabout it."

Flower added that their boycott now continues
for as long as necessary."Even into the Australian tour (which runs from
mid-May to mid-June)," hesaid.

The ZCU chief executive Vincent Hogg
said Flower was being disingenuous asit had been agreed the players would
return to training while thearbitration process was underway.

"It was
agreed in good faith that we will set up an arbitration mechanismand we are
working on that. We are abiding by that. David Lewis made itclear to them
(the players) that it can take a month or even six weeks."

"It was also
agreed that in the meantime the players would turn out forpractice and be
available for selection. If they don't do that, certainly byMay 8, our
ultimatum to them to return to duties by that date or facedisciplinary
action will come into effect."

This could mean suspension or dismissal,
probably the former as the ZCUappears to be trying to keep the door
open.

Because of the setback, Sri Lanka will once more have to play
against a weakand very young Zimbabwe side, the best available, in the last
match of aseries of five one-day internationals.

Wed April 28, 2004 11:26 PM HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's rebelplayers have
agreed to make themselves available for selection, the ZimbabweCricket Union
(ZCU) said on Wednesday. "It has been agreed between the ZCU and the 15
cricketers who have upto now been unavailable for selection that... (they)
will be at practicewith effect from April 30," said the ZCU.

The players had demanded the reinstatement of Heath Streak as captain,a new
selection panel and for the ZCU to acknowledge transgressions theplayers say
were committed by officials.

But the dispute, sparked on April 2
when the ZCU isntalled TatendaTaibu as captain after Streak questioned the
composition of the selectionpanel, is set to continue at
arbitration.

"The 15 cricketers will be communicating through their
legalpractitioners to the ZCU's legal practitioners a proposal for a
disputeresolution procedure, which the ZCU will consider when received," the
ZCUstatement said.

One of the players, who declined to be
named, told Reuters the sagawas not over.

"We have agreed to go
back on Friday but we're certainly still tryingto push for arbitration," the
player said. "It's definitely not the end ofall this.

"We're
trying to show good faith once again and we're going topractice but if
certain things aren't sorted out we're going back to
squareone."

The rebels will not play in the fifth and final
one-day internationalagainst Sri Lanka in Harare on Thursday but, barring
further fallouts withthe board, they will be available for first of two test
matches in Hararefrom May 6.

Zimbabwe had to select an
under-strength squad for the one-day seriesand Sri Lanka won the first four
matches.

The Zanu-PF probe into the operations of its companies
has reached anadvanced stage with the committee conducting the
investigations having gonethrough "mountains" of evidence and interviewed
some of the key ruling partyofficials associated with the running of the
companies, it has been learnt.

Well-placed sources said the
investigations were almost complete and sometop Zanu-PF officials were
interrogated for over three hours at a time toestablish the range of
companies said to be either owned by or linked to theruling party in order
to determine the true position, their financialoperations, directorships,
shareholding structures, business performance andbenefits to the party and
its membership.

As the investigations intensified, three former directors
of the companiesunder probe fled to Britain last month and have since been
specified by theGovernment.

However, the three directors, who include
two brothers - Jayant andManharlal Chinibal Joshi - and Dipak Pandya
yesterday distanced themselvesfrom allegations of corruption and fraud and
pledged to co-operate withinvestigations into the companies, almost a month
after the investigationsopened.

Through their lawyers, Byron Venturas
and Partners, they claimed they fearedreturning to the country because of
the "media hype" that followed theiralleged fleeing, noting they would only
return in the near future when theywere confident their security was not
under threat.

But police chief spokesman Assistant Commissioner Wayne
Bvudzijena saidthese were just lame excuses as other people facing similar
charges werestill in the country and no harm had befallen them.

He
said if the three directors chose to remain in the United Kingdom thepolice
would still get them.

The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parlia-mentary
Affairs Cde PatrickChinamasa said if the three had not committed any crime,
they should return.

The three said various statements in the Press had
inferred that they wereinvolved in various corrupt and dishonest activities
either through ZidcoHoldings or in their personal capacities.

"We
vehemently deny any involvement in such activities and are prepared
toco-operate with authorities in order to prove our innocence.

"We
are prepared to co-operate fully with the investigations, and thisintention
has been communicated through our lawyers to the relevantauthorities, who
have been permitted total and unfettered access to ourbusiness premises,
company documents and accounts. We have not attempted towithhold any
information from these authorities."

The three said they had no plans to
frustrate investigations and that theyhad not fled the country and sought
permanent refuge in the UK.

Nevertheless, the Government recently froze
their assets under thePrevention of Corruption Act following allegations
that the three directorshad started selling their properties and assets in
Zimbabwe.

Although the three directors claimed that they had invested
over 24 years oftheir lives to the country financially and personally and
that their loyaltyand dedication to this country was unquestionable, they
had continued tohold onto their British citizenship and passports since
Zimbabwe'sindependence.

The three directors said they supported the
anti-corruption drive andcondemned activities that destroyed the growth of
the economy.

They were directors of some companies with links to the
ruling party beingprobed by the committee set up by the Zanu-PF
Politburo.

The
Politburo appointed a committee chaired Zanu-PF secretary for financeCde
David Karimanzira, who is also the Governor and Resident Minister
forMashonaland East, retired army commander, General Solomon Mujuru,
formerMinister of Finance and Economic Development Dr Simba Makoni,
MatabelelandNorth Governor Cde Obert Mpofu and the party's deputy secretary
fortransport and welfare, Cde Thoko Mathuthu, to probe the companies.

THE Government has repossessed 1 261 under-utilised
mining claims around thecountry to make way for serious
investors.

The Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Cde Jason
Machaya,yesterday said the ministry confiscated the claims after those that
had beengiven the rights to mine were found not to be developing
them.

"We are in the process of ensuring that investors do not protect
theirclaims by just paying us $30 000 a year (required to maintain
unprocessedmining rights) when they merely are sitting on the claims," Cde
Machayasaid.

He said the ministry had already started implementing
strict measures thatinclude going through all mining claims on a weekly
basis to check if workwas being done on them.

"We were in the past
years having problems with investors who came in forspeculative purposes,
but we are flushing out such elements.

"If there are investors who feel
we treated them unjustly they should comeforward within 21 days and make an
appeal to the Chief Mining Commissioner,"Cde Machaya said.

The Chief
Mining Commissioner, Mr Fredson Mabhena, yesterday said Gwanda hadthe
highest number of claims, at 496 that were forfeited as from
lastDecember.

Mpule and Sibali, which are run by TKS Development,
lost 81 mining claims,while 274 claims registered under Oversite Private
Limited were alsoforfeited.

Zambian
President Levy Mwanawasa said the West should "not act as a prefect"over
Zimbabwe, adding that the country's political and financial woes shouldbe
solved by its own citizens.

Speaking on a visit to South Africa, where he
attended the inauguration ofPresident Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday, Mwanawasa said
he believed the situationin Zimbabwe was greatly misunderstood, particularly
by the West.

"I refuse to accept that Britain, the European Union (EU)
and the UnitedStates have any role to play," said Mwanawasa.

"It is
not right for any country, for any president, for any prime ministerto act
as a prefect on the affairs of Zimbabwe," he told SABC public
radio.

Mwanawasa said he believed only Zimbabweans could solve their
problems,adding that the West's isolation of President Robert Mugabe was
hurtingcitizens of the country and not their leader.

"When you
ostracise Zimbabwe the person you are punishing is not RobertMugabe. You are
punishing ordinary people in Zimbabwe," he said.

Mugabe has come under
increased isolation including sanctions from theUnited States, Britain and
the EU for alleged human rights abuses andundemocratic
practices.

Mugabe's government says its four-year old land reform
programme, underwhich farmland has been taken from white owners and
redistributed tolandless blacks, has been a success, Western countries, the
opposition andaid agencies say it has severely disrupted Zimbabwe's
once-prosperousfarming sector and contributed to famine.

His critics
also point to the fact that the land reforms were accompanied bythe
sometimes violent occupation of white-owned farms and the eviction
ofthousands of black workers.

But for many of his supporters, Mugabe
is merely paying the price for daringto repossess land from
whites.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------JOHANNESBURG
(Reuters) - Zambia has transformed itself into a food surpluscountry after
years of dependency on handouts by international donors,President Levy
Mwanawasa said on Wednesday.

He told South African public broadcaster
SABC in an interview that Zambiahad enough of the staple maize crop for its
internal needs and had alsobecome a net exporter.

"We can now feed
ourselves and we have started exporting. We even made adonation to Tanzania
because they are suffering drought. This is one of themain successes of my
administration which put down policies to reverse yearsof dependency on food
aid for survival," Mwanawasa told SABC's Africachannel.

Zambia has
forecast production of white maize to rise to 1.4 million tonnesin 2004, up
from 1.2 million tonnes in 2003 and has allowed the Food ReserveAgency that
stores strategic grains to export 50,000 tonnes due to theexpected good
harvest.

Maize production was only 600,000 tonnes in 2002.

In the
last nine months Zambia has exported more than 100,000 tonnes ofmaize to
Zimbabwe, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mwanawasasaid it also
made a food donation to drought-hit Tanzania but gave nofurther
details.

Agriculture had also received a boost from white Zimbabwean
farmers settlingin neighbouring countries after their farms were forcibly
taken by thegovernment there for redistribution to landless blacks,
Mwanawasa said butgave no further details.

Zambia experienced one
season of punishing drought in 2001/2002, leavingnearly three million people
in need of food aid. But rains returned tonormal last year and the country
has since been producing surplus maize.

NOTHING PERSONAL

Turning
to other issues, Mwanawasa said his far-reaching crackdown oncorruption was
not a personal vendetta against predecessor Frederick Chilubabut a
commitment to clean government made as an election pledge to Zambianstwo
years ago.

Zambian police questioned Chiluba nearly two weeks ago over
fresh counts ofgraft during his 10-year rule that ended after 2001 elections
that broughtMwanawasa to office.

Chiluba is on bail after pleading
not guilty to theft involving $40 million.

Handpicked to succeed the
outgoing Chiluba in 2001, President Levy Mwanawasalaunched a wide-ranging
crackdown on corruption which has become the mainfocus of his
rule.

He has vowed not to spare even his former mentor.

"Dr
Chiluba has not been persecuted. He still keeps all the trappings of
anex-president, staff, security, pension. Our investigation into
corruptiondoes not target him. We are committed to clean government and
recoveringmoney looted from government coffers," he said.

New snag means Australia may play Zimbabwe ABy Trevor
MarshallseaApril 29, 2004The chance that Australia will be pitted
against a stop-gap selection ofZimbabwean youngsters next month in perhaps
the most lop- sided cricketmis-match ever has increased after indications
the country's player strikewill be settled later rather than
sooner.

Hopes had risen this week that the bitter three-week-old dispute
might beheading towards a resolution after the Zimbabwe Cricket Union
offered to setup an independent mediation process.

The provision was
that the 15 striking white players led by sacked captainHeath Streak again
made themselves available for selection.

But Streak believes the players
will agree only to return to training andwill wait until the mediation
process ends before making themselvesavailable to play.

The players'
legal advice predicts the mediation process could take at leasta month to
set up. This bodes ill for hopes of avoiding high farce for atleast a large
part of the Australians' tour, given that they are scheduledto arrive in
Zimbabwe only two weeks from today.

The players, who withdrew their
services while calling for Streak'sreinstatement and an end to Zimbabwe's
racially-based selection quotas, areunderstood to view the coming Australia
tour as a useful bargaining chip.They hope the ZCU will want to avoid an
even bigger humiliation on theplaying field in the two Tests and three
one-dayers against Ricky Ponting'smen than that now being dealt to
20-year-old Tatenda Taibu's side by SriLanka, which has easily won the first
four matches of their one-day seriesin Zimbabwe.

But the ZCU, seen as
an increasingly politicised arm of the widelydiscredited Robert Mugabe
Government, has played hard-ball throughout thedispute. It might not be
swayed by fears of two embarrassing series againstAustralia. An amount of
bureaucratic bungling also appears to stand in theway of a speedy
resolution

Release of MISA's Annual Publication, 'So This Is Democracy?: State of
MediaFreedom in Southern Africa'

Media Institute of Southern
Africa (Windhoek)

PRESS RELEASEApril 28, 2004Posted to the web
April 28, 2004

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) will
again this year bereleasing its annual publication, "So This Is Democracy?:
State of mediafreedom in Southern Africa" in commemoration of World Press
Freedom Day onMay 3. This is the tenth consecutive year in which MISA has
issued thispublication which records incidents of media freedom violations
monitored byMISA in the previous year. The current edition therefore details
mediafreedom violations in 2003.

MISA issued 188 alerts in 2003 about
media freedom and freedom of expressionviolations in SADC countries. This is
an decrease of 9,7 per cent over the208 alerts recorded in the previous
year.

MISA's Regional Programme Manager: Media Freedom
Monitoring, Zoé Titus, saysin the publication that "although this figure
(188) marks a decrease of 9,7percent from the previous year, the nature of
alerts and their bearing onthe psyche of journalists have culminated into an
environment in whichjournalists practice self-censorship, where media
organisations are eitherclosed down by governments through the application
of repressive legislationor as a result of degenerating economic conditions
and where the pursuit ofindependent journalism is often labelled as
unpatriotic"'.

"In Zimbabwe the forced state closure of the Daily News on
September 122003, on charges that it was publishing illegally without a
state license,was undoubtedly the worst media freedom violation recorded in
2003"', shesays, adding that the application of the repressive Access to
Informationand Protection of Privacy Act in that country has translated into
Zimbabweaccounting for 54 percent of all media freedom and freedom of
expressionviolations MISA recorded in 2003".

She warns, however, that
it must be noted that those countries where themedia freedom situation has
not overtly deteriorated, there remains a needfor media law reform as the
environment is still littered with legal hurdlesthat stifle media
freedom.

BREAKDOWN OF THE 2003 ALERTS

A breakdown of the 188
alerts issued in 2003 reveals among others, that 33journalists were
attacked, 53 detained, 37 censored whilst 8 victories -either through the
adoption of positive legislation or where charges weredropped against a
journalist - were recorded. No journalists were killed asa result of their
work in 2003.

TRENDS DETECTED DURING 2003

The alerts for 2003
reveal the emergence of new themes of professionalimportance to journalists
and to MISA. These include the increase of civildefamation cases against the
media and concerns about the high financialpenalties being awarded to
successful litigants, the emergence of moreindependent media councils
(voluntary media complaints bodies) or attemptsto do so, the establishment
of national editors forums, increasing concernsabout the wages and working
conditions of journalists, the struggle for theappointment of statutory but
independent broadcasting authorities,developments around the introduction of
Access to Information legislation,and the rise of media civil society
coalitions (including associations ofjournalists in the state owned media)
for media freedom advocacy and legalreform purposes. All of these issues
have a direct bearing on media freedomand the quality of journalism in the
SADC region.

NEW FEATURE

A new feature of the alerts is a gender
component in terms of which mediaviolations are broken down to show how many
men and women were affected byviolations of their media rights. In 2003, 24
female and 115 malepractitioners were affected.

HOW TO OBTAIN A
COPY

Hard copies of the publication may be ordered from MISA's
RegionalSecretariat. Contact Eric Libongani at resource@misa.org for details.
Thepublication may also be downloaded from MISA's website athttp://www.misa.org